Ball game  played on a regularly tiled surface

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of a game between a plurality of teams typically played with a ball on a court composed of a plurality of tilings typically composed of plastic rings of alternating, contrasting colors to form a checkerboard style playing court. Each team occupies a different set of colored tiling rings. In order to score points, players on the offensive team attempt to move the ball from one predetermined location on the court to another while remaining within their set of colored tiling rings. The opposing defensive team members attempt to impede the offensive team&#39;s progress from within their own colored tiling rings and gain possession of the ball in order to become the offensive team and score points. Play progresses until one team achieves a predetermined number of points and is declared the winner of the game.

PRIOR ART

The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears related:

U.S. patents Patent Number Kind Code Issue Date Patentee 6,196,545 B1 Mar. 6, 2001 Peeples Des. 284,590 S  Jul. 8, 1986 Donahue Des. 243203 S Jan. 25, 1977 Wilkins 3,079,728 B1  Mar. 5, 1963 Melin U.S. patent application Publications Publication No. Kind Code Publication Date Applicant U.S. 2009/0,243,215 A1 Mar. 31, 2008 Turner Nonpatent Literature Documents How to Play Human Checkers as a Team Building Event (http://www.ehow.com/how_2076473_play-human-checkers-as-team.html), Apr. 9, 2011

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to games, and in particular team sports played with a ball.

Ball games of all sorts, such as football, baseball, soccer, and volleyball are well known and played all over the world. In many or most of these games, two teams compete against each other by manipulating a ball on a playing field and in some manner score points consistent with the rules of that particular game.

These ball games are generally played in a large open space, consistent with the rules of the game in question.

The areas in which the above ball games are played usually consists of a one tile surface (one large space, such as a football field, baseball field, soccer field, or basketball court) or sometimes a two tiled surface (such as a tennis or volleyball court), in which the playing area is divided into two equal sized tiles or spaces separated by a net.

The areas in which these ball games are played are generally fixed or are fairly difficult to set up in alternative locations.

The playing fields of these ball games generally allow only two competing teams to play at one time.

These ball games often require special athletic abilities or technical skills on the part of the participants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to a game and are described herein in the preferred embodiment described, the present invention is not limited to the form described. For example, the tiled spaces which compose the game and the rules employed at a given time for operation of the game may vary in such a manner as to preserve the basic nature of the game and allow for changes in materials, methods of manufacture, and the needs of users of the game.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a game is comprised of a regularly tiled surface composed of adjacent rings of alternating, contrasting colors in checkerboard style, one set of similarly colored rings for each team, one player per ring, with sufficient area within each ring to allow players to move freely within the ring as they move a ball from one designated spot on the tiled surface to another, such as from corner to same colored corner, to score points.

Advantages

Accordingly, several advantages of one or more aspects of one embodiment of this game are as follows: the game surface is variable in size to accommodate the size and number of teams and the space available in which to play; the game surface can be easily transported from one location to another; the game surface, given proper configuration of the pattern and colors of the tiling rings, permits two or more teams to compete simultaneously; the game does not require special athletic abilities or technical skills on the part of the participants to play; the players on the various teams are juxtaposed between each other so that they may get acquainted with each other, rather than being spacially separated from each other. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

DRAWINGS Figures

FIG. 1 shows a layout of the game as a square checkerboard composed of rings of two contrasting colors, the rings serving as tilings of the checkerboard. Rings may be tagged or labelled to indicate the direction of player rotation.

FIG. 2A shows an external tubing couple for a fixed diameter ring.

FIG. 2B shows the abutting ends of tubing at a couple.

FIG. 3 shows an internal tubing couple for a fixed diameter ring.

FIG. 4 shows an external tubing couple for a variable diameter ring.

FIG. 5 shows a layout of the game as a square checkerboard produced by ropes of two contrasting colors.

FIG. 6 shows a layout of the game as a hexagon composed of rings of three contrasting colors, the rings serving as tilings.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10 ring of one color -   12 ring of another, contrasting color -   14 strap between two rings -   16 external couple to hold ends of ring together in a fixed diameter -   20 one end of ring tubing -   22 other end of ring tubing -   30 rod or tubing inside the ends of the ring tubing, thus forming an     internal couple for a ring of fixed diameter -   42 couple through which the ends of the ring tubing may slide in     order to form a variable diameter ring -   50 corner tie-down -   52 rope of one color -   54 rope of another, contrasting color -   56 tie-down stake -   60 ring of one color -   62 ring of another, contrasting color -   64 ring of still another contrasting color

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First Embodiment—FIG. 1

As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present invention has broad utility and application. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.

Accordingly, while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention, and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by the appended claims rather than the description set forth herein.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which the ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.

Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having an apple” describes “a picnic basket having at least one apple” as well as “a picnic basket having apples.” In contrast, reference to “a picnic basket having a single apple” describes “a picnic basket having only one apple.”

When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having cheese or crackers” describes “a picnic basket having cheese without crackers”, “a picnic basket having crackers without cheese”, and “a picnic basket having both cheese and crackers.” Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”

A preferred embodiment of the game is illustrated in FIG. 1. The game is played on a substantially flat surface in the style of a checkerboard. The checkerboard styled surface is composed of two alternately colored tilings in contrasting colors. The checkerboard style surface is a square with four tiles on a side. The tiles are composed of rings of plastic tubing in two contrasting colors, 10 and 12, eight rings of one color and eight rings of a contrasting color. The ends of each piece of tubing come together and are joined together by couples 16 in order to form rings. The rings are held together in the form of a checkerboard by straps such as Velcro or tie-wraps 14.

In a preferred embodiment of the game, the rings which create the tilings are composed of plastic tubing, but any other material which can be used to form tiling rings in contrasting colors can be used. The couples 16 are lengths of vinyl tubing which fit over the ends of the ring tubing, but any other material which could fit snugly over the ends of the ring tubing to hold it into a ring could be used. A rod or tube couple 32 which can fit inside the ends of the ring tubing can also be used. Butt joints in the ring tubing produce rings of fixed diameter. A variable couple 42 which allows the ring tubing to pass through it yet which holds the tubing snugly may be used to form rings of varying diameter.

The rings are large enough to allow a player to move about freely within the ring while playing the game. In other embodiments, there may be different tiling patterns, in addition to a basic checkerboard of two contrastingly colored tilings as described in this first embodiment, such as in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the pattern of three tiling colors would permit three different teams to place at once, each in a different color of ring. The tilings may be of any uniform shape, consistent with the objectives of the game, such as circles, squares, or triangles.

The game surface may be made of different materials, in addition to the plastic rings described in this embodiment. It may be made from rope, as in FIG. 5, from sheet materials of alternating colors, by painting or otherwise marking a regularly tiled pattern on a surface, or any other similar method.

Operation—FIG. 1

In a preferred embodiment of the game, the ends 20 and 22 of each piece of ring tubing are brought together to form a butt joint. An external couple 16 is placed over the tubing ends, or an internal couple 32 is placed within the ends to hold them together in a ring. If variable couples 42 are used, the rings are coupled together in a manner that will allow the rings to have equal diameters. The rings are layed out on the ground or other surface in a checkerboard fashion. In a preferred embodiment of the game, the rings are then held in place by double-sided Velcro straps 14 between adjacent rings.

In a preferred embodiment of the game having two contrasting colors of rings in a square checkerboard layout of four rings on side for a total of sixteen rings, the game is played by two teams of up eight players each. Each team occupies one set of colored rings. For example, one set of rings may be black and one set of rings may be white. One team is assigned to occupy and stand within the black rings, and the other team is assigned to the white rings. The players stand inside the rings of their team's color.

The game is played according to predetermined rules. In a preferred embodiment of the game, the teams take turns in attempting to score points. One team is designated as the offensive team. In a preferred embodiment of the game, the offensive team players attempt to move a large ball, such as a beachball, from one corner of the checkerboard to the opposite corner, such as from a black corner ring to the diagonally opposite black corner ring. The ball may be moved from one team member to another team member by predetermined means, such as by handing the ball hand to hand between players or by tossing the ball through the air. A point is scored when the offensive team moves the ball from one corner to the diagonally opposite corner of the same color.

While the offensive team is attempting to move the ball between players and score points, the opposing team, designated the defensive team, attempts to block attempts by the offense to move the ball between offensive players. The defense accomplishes this by positioning their bodies and appendages between the offensive players who are attempting to move the ball between each other, thus blocking the hand-off or the toss through the air. The defensive members may also attempt to take the ball away from the offensive players and thus obtain the right to become the offensive team. Players may move to open rings of their color or rotate positions around their assigned rings in a predetermined manner.

The game is played until a predetermined number of points is achieved by one team, which is then declared the winner of the game.

FIGS. 5 and 6—Additional or Alternative Embodiments

FIG. 5 shows a four sided square checkerboard playing area of two contrasting colored tilings. This checkerboard is produced by forming rope of contrasting colors 52 and 54 into the checkerboard pattern to produce the checkerboard tilings. The ropes may be fastened together to retain the checkerboard pattern. Tie-down loops 50 at the corners keep the rope meshwork taunt. Stakes 56 through the tie-down loops or similar means anchor the meshwork to the ground or other playing surface. In a preferred embodiment of the game, the rope may be of plastic or other durable material in contrasting colors.

FIG. 6 shows a six sided playing area composed of rings of three contrasting colors, 60, 62, and 64. This layout is composed of the same parts as the layout shown in FIG. 1, with the addition of a third contrasting colored ring. Connecting straps 14 and tubing couples 16 (or 32 or 42) are omitted from the drawing for illustration purposes only.

Advantages

From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodiments of this game become evident:

(a) This game can be set up to accommodate various numbers of players on participating teams by varying the number of rings in the playing court. For example, the number of tilings (rings) in FIG. 1 can be increased to produce a square checkerboard or other pattern of more than four tilings on a side to accommodate more players.

(b) This game can be set up to accommodate various numbers of teams by varying the number and arrangement of tilings and the number of contrasting colored tilings. FIG. 6 shows an arrangement of three contrasting colored rings which could accommodate three teams playing at once according to predetermined rules to accommodate three teams.

(c) This game can be set up to accommodate spaces of varying size in which to play the game. The number and size of the ring tilings can be varied so that the game may be played indoors in places with limited space or outdoors where space may be less limiting.

(d) This game can be set up to accommodate various age groups of players. The diameter of the rings can be made smaller for children or larger for adults.

(e) Constructing the game of rings of plastic tubing as in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6 or plastic rope as in FIG. 5 makes the game resistant to moisture. The game may thus be played and stored outdoors, such as on the beach.

(f) The game exists essentially in two dimensions. Vertical components such as nets or baskets on backboards are not required. Thus set-up is facilitated by simply laying out the game on a substantially flat surface.

(g) The game is portable. It may be assembled and taken down readily for transportation. Double-sided Velcro straps holding the rings together (FIG. 1) or the rope checkerboard arrangement (FIG. 5) facilitate set-up and tear-down. When the couple holding the ends of the tubing of a ring is removed, the ring tubing may be wound into a tighter and more compact coil, facilitating transportation by taking up less space.

(h) The game is easy to play and requires minimal skill or ability. In a preferred embodiment, scoring points is achieved by simply handing-off or tossing a ball from one player to another on the playing court to another.

(i) Players play in proximity to other players on their own team and the opposing team, which may allow them to get acquainted with each other during the course of a game.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

According to the various embodiments of the invention, I have provided a game which is easy to play, which is flexible to set up and play in various environments, and which will accommodate varying numbers of teams and team members.

While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplifications of various embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. For example, playing surface tilings may be composed of adjacent pieces of sheet material such as vinyl or fabric; the tilings may squares, triangles, or other shapes in addition to circles; or the ball may be replaced with other projectiles or devices. Thus the scope should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given. 

I claim:
 1. A game played with a freely movable object between a plurality of teams on a surface of a plurality of regular adjacent tilings in a pattern of a plurality of alternating and contrasting colors forming a playing court.
 2. The game of claim 1 wherein said movable object is a ball.
 3. The game of claim 2 wherein said ball is a beachball or similarly sized ball.
 4. The game of claim 1 wherein said playing court has a plurality of sides to form a regular geometric shape such as a square or hexagon.
 5. The game of claim 4 wherein said square is in the form of a checkerboard of said tilings.
 6. The game of claim 5 wherein said checkerboard is in a pattern of regularly alternating colors of said tilings.
 7. The game of claim 5 wherein said checkerboard has an equal and even number of said tilings on each of its sides.
 8. The game of claim 1 wherein said tilings create spaces large enough for a person to stand and move about freely within.
 9. The game of claim 8 wherein said tilings are of a regular polygon shape and lying on a substantially flat surface.
 10. The game of claim 9 wherein said tilings are formed of durable material resistant to weather and physical abuse.
 11. The game of claim 10 wherein said durable material is a piece of plastic tubing of length sufficient to substantially form a circle when the ends of said piece of tubing are substantially joined together to form a ring to create a tiling for said space.
 12. The game of claim 11 wherein said plastic tubing is made of polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, or other plastic.
 13. The game of claim 11 wherein said circle is of sufficient diameter as to allow a person to stand and move about freely within said circle.
 14. The game of claim 11 wherein said tubing ends are permanently or temporarily joined together at their ends.
 15. The game of claim 14 wherein said tubing ends are substantially joined by couples of tubing which fit over or rods or tubes which fit within the ends of the tubing when the ends are brought into proximity with each other.
 16. The game of claim 11 wherein said rings are held together by fasteners between the rings to hold the rings into a predefined shape and pattern such as a square checkerboard.
 17. The game of claim 16 wherein said fasteners are Velcro straps, tie-wraps, or other bindings.
 18. A method of playing a game, comprising: (a) A playing court surface of regular adjacent tilings in a pattern of alternating and contrasting colors of tilings. (b) Two of more teams of persons, each person of which team occupies the space within a tiling of a regularly tiled playing court surface, each team occupying the set of tilings on the surface of which all are the same color of tiling. (c) An object such as a ball which can be moved about by teammates on the court from one tiling to another in order to score points according to predefined rules. (d) A set of predefined rules for playing a game. 